Spoilers ahead for the April 29 episode of Survivor: Winners at War.
The latest episode of Survivor: Winners at War was intense from the opening minutes following the aftermath of Sophie Clarke's elimination last week all the way through to Kim Spradlin-Wolfe getting voted out after the remaining castaways were wheeling and dealing until the very last moments. Despite Kim being voted out, however, Tony Vlachos is the one worth talking about. Winners at War really needs to do something about Tony after the immunity challenge.
Kim seemed to be rallying the remaining castaways to get rid of Tony, while Sarah Lacina seemed ready to cut all ties with Tony after he got Sophie eliminated. Everything changed when it came to the immunity challenge, which forced the castaways to hold themselves steady on a narrow beam with no support. Jeff Probst managed to coax a few (including Kim) to drop early so they could partake in some peanut butter, chocolate, and cookies, and Nick Wilson ultimately gave up with the promise of a Fire Token from Tony.
Yes, Tony won another immunity challenge, meaning that he (and Denise Stapley as the winner of the women) didn't have to worry about elimination. This marked the third immunity challenge in a row that Tony won, and he had been all but guaranteed to be voted out this week if not for safety. Winners at War's next episode should not let it happen again.
Now, Tony is far from my favorite of the remaining castaways, so some of my annoyance with Tony winning another immunity challenge and being safe for another week is just that I'd like to see something more happen on Survivor beyond his chatter. That said, I have to respect his game, and since I'm currently Team Sarah after losing Sophie, he's obviously doing something right that he's annoying me.
It's also not the fault of Jeff Probst or Survivor that Tony is nailing the immunity challenge. He's been winning through a combination of luck, skill, and endurance. The ones who need to do something about Tony are the other remaining castaways. He has risen up as the Boston Rob-esque castaway of Winners at War (since Rob Mariano himself was voted out), and he needs to be the next target. This is Winners at War, so these winners need to find a way to take down the clear frontrunner.
Sarah seems hip to Tony's game, as she declined his help when it was looking like she might be voted out, but she also seems to need him on her side... for now. Edge of Extinction is still a factor as well, and the reaction shots of those who had already been sent to the Edge during the wheeling and dealing before the vote were pretty interesting. They certainly seem to see the need to get rid of Tony, although I may also be slightly projecting.
Something needs to be done about Tony if the rest of the castaways want a shot at the $2 million, and they'll need to band together (and stop Tony from winning another immunity challenge) if they want to stand a chance.
Whether or not the castaways are able to successfully make a move on Tony, the next night of Survivor should be exciting. CBS is airing not one but two hours of Survivor on Wednesday, May 6 at 8 p.m. ET. They'll be the last episodes of Winners at War before the finale, so be sure to tune in!
